1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air cleaner mainly used for automobile engines.
2. Description of the Related Art
In many cases, air cleaners having a uniform shape and structure are generally used to certain models of automobiles of a plurality of the models thereof manufactured by respective manufactures. This is carried out to promote the reduction of a manufacturing cost, rationalization of stocked parts, and the like by using common parts to a plurality of models of automobiles.
When air cleaners having great influence on the performance of engines are commonly used to a plurality of models of automobiles, however, there arises a problem that a capacity of the air cleaners tend to become insufficient to some engines depending upon the displacement thereof and thus a performance of the engines cannot be sufficiently derived sometimes.
To solve this problem, air cleaners having a larger capacity are supplied in a parts market to cover engines to which the capacity of the commonly used air cleaners is deficient or insufficient even if it is not deficient.
When a capacity of an air cleaner is increased, that is, when a surface area of an filter element is increased in the state, for example, that an outside shape of the filter element is formed to the same as that of an existing filter element, however, a height of the filter element is increased. Thus, a problem arises in that the filter element with the increased height cannot be accommodated in an existing housing or casing in which the existing filter element is accommodated.
Taking the above into consideration, an object of the present invention is to provide an air cleaner for engines which can be accommodated in an existing air cleaner housing or casing even if its height is increased by increasing its capacity by, for example, 50% as compared with that of an existing air cleaner.